Coffee & Biscuits

09|closer

Catherine was washing dishes when Aria stepped through the door with a childlike smile on her lips. For the ride home she listened to every cheesy song she could think of and fantasized about Tom. She knew she looked just like she felt: like a love-crazed teenager, but she didn't care anymore. It stilled her heart to know that Tom would be back tomorrow and for however long he was to stay she would be ecstatic to have him there. But of course, all signs of her joy was washed away when Aria stepped into the kitchen, where she found her mother. Still visibly angry Catherine only gave her a quick steal of a look before proceeding with the dishes.

"Hi mom," Aria started silently, "how was your day?" 

"There's food in the fridge for you." Was all Catherine said as a response.

Aria realized the longer she danced around the issue the longer it'd take to make things right and she desperately needed to fix it. She took a deep breath to prepare herself and then she walked closer to her mother, eventually reaching the sink and made it known that she was going to speak. Noticing that she's having to share the attention with the soapy water and the pots and pans, Aria decided that she would assist her mother, thus making it easier to make conversation.

"Mom; I'm so sorry for what I said to you in the car this morning, I had no right to bring up dad like that--"

"No you didn't have any right to do that," Catherine interjected angrily and dropped the almost clean plate back in the soapy sink, "I am the one who takes care of this family and for you to--if you only knew what I sacrifice to take care of you, the house and the cafe I think you'd treat me with more respect!"

Aria hadn't prepared for the outburst but it was clear that Catherine was unleashing built up anger, along with the one from the argument this morning. The guilt feasted on her conscience like a parasite as she saw the pain in her mother's eyes. It was painful not to have a father present in her life, at one point he had sort of been there, but for the woman who had a life with him previously it must've been harder to adjust to his absence. When Tom had looked at the pictures, on the wall, Aria had remembered how their lives had been back then. 

"When I cleaned the cafe after closing I looked at the pictures you put on the wall, the ones of you and I, and it made me smile. It has always been just the two of us and although dad is around sometimes he will never take away the memories that I have with you. You taught me how to bake, how to be kind and how to be respectful - I'm sorry that I failed you on the latter one." Aria spoke calmly but silently.

Catherine kept silent but there were tears waiting to be pushed off the cliff that was her eyes, that much was visible. It was tough to see her mother like this and knowing she had been the one to cause it, but now more than ever she needed to apologize sincerely. 

"My dad wasn't always this absent, was he?" Aria continued pressing about her father.

This time she got a reaction out of her mom, "Partially, he was. When we met John had many aspirations in life and that's why I fell for him. I wanted to be with someone who knew what they wanted in life, had goals and was determined to meet them - but eventually I realized that none of those goals truly included me." Catherine sighed.

"You mean he never wanted to get married or have...me?" 

"Oh sweetie your father loves you, that is not at all what I'm saying. I just meant your father has always put his career first, it might not even be intentional but it's been a problem in our marriage long before you came along." Catherine confessed sadly.

The admission from Aria's mother was tough to take in, especially since he was living up to his true self by being absent right now. Every time Aria asked for her father as a young child it must've pained Catherine to keep her poker face intact and not reveal her true feelings. That's probably also why their weren't any pictures of John at The Cafe; because Catherine didn't want her lives work to be tainted by the man that never supported her.